New Miscellany 2: intelligence, feet, fossils, wishes (General)

by David Turell , Tuesday, June 03, 2025, 18:59 (2 days ago) @ dhw

Intelligent cuttlefish

DAVID: It all depends on how deeply an animal can conceptualize. The authors, themselves, questioned the use of foraging experience helping the cuttlefish.

dhw: That did not invalidate the tests, which proved the cuttlefish’s ability to solve new problems, but also showed that some individuals are more intelligent than others. Nothing to do with “depth of conceptualization”. And you continue to demand tests for the resin insects, and to insist that your God had to teach the opossum to feign death.

Only dead opossums would leave a clue as to how to stay alive by pretending death. Really!?

Our special feet

DAVID: another aspect of our exceptionality. Mobility.

DAVID: God gave us migrating feet. Another example of your anti-exceptionalism prejudice.

dhw: There is no “anti-exceptionalism”. I am not denying that our feet are different from other animals’ feet! I am offering an explanation of HOW those feet may have evolved BECAUSE we migrated and not in order to allow us to migrate.

dhw: Your only response to this argument was to repeat your own theory that your God designed our feet, presumably along with our legs and pelvises, BEFORE we left the trees.

Under your scheme why migrate if your feet don't feel like doing it?

DAVID: How does guideless evolution produce such masterful designs? That is what you claim happened.

dhw: A complete non sequitur as you scurry back to the safe argument for design, since ALL these life forms are too complex to be the result of chance. And your introduction of the word “guideless” is yet another of your obfuscations, totally ignoring Shapiro’s theory that the masterful designs are the consequence of intelligent cells adapting and /or innovating in order to ensure or improve their chances of survival. To which I always add the theory that your God may have designed the first cells and their autonomous intelligence.

Mindless cells cannot produce a new species. Only a designing mind.

First land animals

DAVID: This finding satisfies dhw's wish for more fossil discoveries by filling a recognized gap in specimens. That is what is left to find, just specimens to fill recognized gaps in the fossil record. New, dramatic, theory changing discoveries are most unlikely.

dhw: Thank you once more for your integrity in providing more evidence against your own wished-for theories. Sadly, though, you have never understood my motive for writing the brief guide and setting up this website. Although I am fully aware that we will never know the answers to life’s mysteries unless there is a God who will explain them to us, I still want to examine all possible solutions. Unlike you, I do not “first choose a God I wish to believe in. The rest follows.” And so I do not try to twist what we know of reality so that it will fit in with my preconceptions. You tie yourself in knots with your theory concerning God’s purpose and method and ability to design species “de novo”, the latter being based on the gaps. I see a possible explanation of the gaps. You have kindly provided evidence that this explanation could be right. You keep telling us that new discoveries are unlikely, but researchers keep coming up with new discoveries. That’s all. I don’t wish for a particular truth, and I am 100% certain that in my few remaining years I have no chance of solving any of the mysteries, but that does not stop me from inquiring. However, I should add that it does not lessen my gratitude to you for continuing the quest with me and for providing so much educational material along the way.

A true agnostic statgement, and thank you.